Earthbound: The Hero Within
by uberponyfantasy
Summary: In the year 199X, a young boy named Ness is chosen to be the savior of the universe. He must defeat the evils of the world ruled by the cosmic destroyer, Gygas, and his plans to destroy every living creature on Mother Earth. This is a novel based on the story of Earthbound! Reviews are nice and REALLY help me! I hope you enjoy it, but remember! No crying until the end...
1. A Destiny's Beginning

Earthbound: The Novel

Onett. A peaceful town. Inhabited by the people of Eagleland. The very thought of terror or fear to ever sweep this town was out of the question...until now. The streets are filled with the everyday townsfolk that enjoy the atmosphere and overall calm feeling of the neighborhood. Some would be visitors from Fourside, but most are residents of the delightful town, and are mostly in their happiest moods...mostly.

Now on one night, Onett changed forever. Something that was said to have come long ago, and the stories are true. And on that very night, one young, couragous boy would love his destiny of becoming a hero. This is his story. It was late at night. Later than midnight. Something struck from the sky. It glowed in the black sky with a blaze of fire and stone. Red and orange light caught the attention of all. Especially the police.

As it approached Earth, it zoomed past the buildings below the hill, and struck the hilltop above. It shook neighboring houses and shops like an earthquake. It made a loud boom as it made contact with the dirt. Scaring citizens, and alarming the Onett Police Force, no one was safe from what was to come. This was just the beginning.

Police cars zoomed to the scene. They began to block all entrances to the hill from all around. No one got in or out. Like they were attempting a world record, they tried closing in as many holes as they can so none could witness the fright that even they did not know of.

This is where the journey begins.

Ness woke from the crash near his house. His eyes opened to the ceiling above him, and as he laid in his bed, his first reaction was to investigate. His ruffled hair and pajamas was no way to go out into the open, and he quickly got into his usual outfit of blue and yellow striped shirt, short brown pants, and his lucky blue and red baseball cap.

He stepped out the door to find the hallway where his sister was standing in. The lights were turned on to show her drowsy face covered by her hands rubbing her eyes. She yawned, then asked, "Did you hear that noise? What is it?"

She looked at his clothes, then sighed. "I'm guessing you were planning on going to investigate. Mom's not gonna stop you though, so I guess I can't either."

He went down the steps to the loving room where his mom was pacing. His dog, King, was in the corner of the room, asleep as usual. His mom was one of the best in his eyes. Her curly blonde hair, her red dress, and a giant smile on his face had all of the features of an everyday mother, but she was different to him.

She was all he had, anyway. Ness's father left him at the age of 3, and only contacted through phone, never in person. Whenever he was feeling down, she cooked him his favorite: Steak. She would never stop him from doing what a 13 year old kid would want to do in his spare time, even if it was doing a triple flip on a skateboard down a mountain on fire.

It made him feel upset when he saw his mother in anxiety, so he tried to comfort her, but she quickly said, "What are you doing up? It's dangerous outside, but you still want to go look?"

Ness looked down at the floor in shame. He really hated himself whenever he felt as if he caused her emotion pain or sadness, and hoping to go out and check the meteor wasn't helping.

"Well, I suggest you go now," His mom replied. "You would just go out your windows anyways."

He smiled as he hugged his mom tightly, and he received the same warmth and love from her too. Ness then ran to the door, and looked at his scared mother one last time. When he turned back, he opened the door, and was instantly held back by the piercing noise of the sirens.

He could barely hear himself think as the dark night tried to settle across the hills, but the shining red and blue lights flickering in the grass around him made him feel uneasy. He wanted to show his mom, and himself, that he was capable of going out on his own, and growing up, so he marched up the cliff to find the cops patrolling the area.

"Hey kid!" An officer yelled. "Don't you think you should be in bed right now? Move it!"

Ignoring his overwhelming blue and black uniform, and his sidearm in his right pocket, he trotted forward, turning at the cliffs' many curves and bumps. He constantly met with the gleaming eyes of several police officers with their arms crossed, ready to attack anyone that wanted to put up a fight.

It only took him a couple minutes to slowly reach the top, and was soon disappointed to find that 3 guards were blocking the way. Once they saw him, their heads quickly turned like a wooden puppet focusing on the audience, and their useless sunglasses reflected his young face on the glass.

He tried backing away from the wall of dirt that wasn't climbable to try to catch a glimpse of the space rock, but he didn't want to fall off of the edge, so he retreated. He then spotted a chubby boy right in one of the cop's face, spitting on his glasses as he spat out swears and yells. His blonde hair and blue and white shirt made him roll his eyes as he instantly recognized his facial representation as he quickly turned to look at Ness.

It was Pokey, Ness's best friend since forever. He wasn't the kindest of friends, but he did have usefulness as the test dummy for some stupid stunts preformed by one of them, but mostly him. He was sometimes willing to share, but if a crow were to ever steal his burger, he would chase after it with red-as-apple cheeks. He always seemed to envy Ness, for whatever reason, and his jealously got the best of him, and pounded his best friend in the face. It left him with a bloody nose, and due to him mother and father screaming at him to apologize, his last words that he heard from him that day were, "Uh…sorry."

He had a massive temper at times, but he didn't blame him. At home, his parents tended to call him "Porky", due to him being so fat. Ness didn't think it was funny, but whenever Pokey had the slightest feeling of doubt in his trust in him for his looks, he would quickly attack with verbal language. He tended to ask Ness for a solid every week or two, without the returning favor. It would range from stealing a cookie from an old woman's purse, or trying to help sneak into a movie theater that was playing the new R rated film.

So as Ness recollected the memories of him, his irritation with him skyrocketed. Then, Pokey spoke.

"Ness! It's you!" He responded. "You better get home now! You're getting in the cop's- I mean, the "officer's" way. Scram!"

Angered, he stomped back home, clenching his fists. He could almost feel the top of his head burning. This happened all the time though, but being so excited to see the natural phenomenon, he almost reached his breaking point. But instead of bursting into yelps or tears, he went back to his house. It was too late to do anything about it. His mom reacted the same way once he entered the porch.

"Ness! Oh, thank goodness you're home!" She said as she hugged him so. "Look, let's not talk about this now. It's getting late, so head on up to bed."

To please her, he nodded his head, and walked up to his room, and snuggled in his warm sheets. He took a few minutes to remind himself of the bothersome questions that still swarmed through his mind. Why was Pokey there? Why were the police so eager to enter the scene? He decided to push them aside, and nuzzle himself into a deep slumber, that was soon to be interrupted by his destiny.

So, U Like? Feel free to comment with blazing hate messages, or a kind little comment would help too! Whichever way you want, please like and comment! Fuzzy Pickels!


	2. The Arrival

Chapter 2

KNOCK! KNOCK!

A pounding erupted from the door. Drowsy Ness was woken again by another late night incident. The crust on his eyes fogged his vision as he got up again to see what the problem was in his PJ's and curious spirit. He guessed that no one was up, but both his sister and mother seemed to have placed themselves behind their couch, as if a giant lizard was about to attack on their doorstep. He looked at both of them confused, and as they both blushed awkwardly.

Ness rolled his eyes, and went up to the door. Right when he slightly turned the knob, the door swung open, hitting itself on the wall behind it, creating a nice dent for the doorknob to sit. The figure who had burst through the door was none-other than Pokey, more terrified than ever. His pale white face only matched in anxiety to the sweat forming across his forehead and in his armpits, leaving an embarrassing darker color there on his shirt.

As he was panting, he said, "Hey! Ness!" he yelled. "Thank God you're still awake!"

Ness could already tell that he was about to ask him for a favor…of some kind. Pokey then looked at Ness's mom, and snickered.

"Uh, good evening to you too, Ma'am. You're looking nice…as usual."

Ness was just about to slam the door in front of him, but he was interrupted by his annoying speech.

"Listen. My brother, Picky, seemed to have run away like the little baby he is. I think he's up near the meteorite where the police were. They decided to book it and try to stop the Sharks again. I heard that they were doing something down near the arcade, which set them off. So I need your help finding him. I can't go up there alone. There are things up there that scare m-I mean- that are in the way. I got no one else on my side. Mom and Dad left me at home with him for some stupid diner, and they said that if I screw up, they will beat me until I begin to bleed. So will you come with me?"

Ness was unsure of his decision. He was on the brink of hating Pokey to the core, but as he has been told by many people, that no matter what they are, they are still people…even if they have punched you in the face before. Pokey could tell that his friend was having trouble, so he whispered, "If you say no…I say something that will cut you like a knife."

Ness was un-moved by his words, as Pokey could barely get two people to even take a glance at him when he needed to speak. But even though there was no obvious blackmail in the agreement, he said, "Fine. I'll join."

Pokey suddenly had a rush of relief pour over him like cold water on a hot day, and squeezed through the door to take a seat on the couch. Ness's mom looked at him with question, and to her son, with remorse.

"Look, you go find his brother, and hurry back as soon as you can. And hurry! The sun's coming up soon!"

As told, he went up to his room to put on his clothes from earlier, and as he was walking out, he was greeted by his sister, with a half-broken bat in her tiny hands.

"I-In case something happens." She said with a grin.

He met up then with Pokey at the doorstep.

"Goodbye Miss! We'll be back!" He said attempting to act brave, but still had a burning feeling of dread in his stomach. They then stepped out into the moonlight to find that it was as calm as an untouched lake. No police cars, no fire department, nothing. Just the two of them. Then, his mom called from behind, "Bring your dog, too! J-just in case!"

His big white dog, King, raced out to meet Ness, and began to lick his face. King then noticed the other company, and growled at him unusually.

"What's your problem, you stupid mutt?" He remarked. Ness pulled the dog away, looking at Pokey with anger.

"You don't have to call him stupid, Pokey." He argued.

"Wow! Ness finally speaks! What, you afraid of your Mom?" Pokey replied.

"Shut up! You want me to find your brother, or not?"

"Yes! Yes! I was just kidding, man! Can't you take a joke? Why are you being such a prick?"

Ness felt as if he was going to explode, but refrained with a sigh. He knew there was no point in arguing.

"Just come on!" he yelled. Pokey was left satisfied, and walked with him. They trekked up the mountain, continuously checking up on the dog to make sure he doesn't begin to attack Pokey, which Ness wished could happen. Every time the blonde haired boy heard a crow flying above him, or a snake hissing in the grass, he would try to stay back at least 4 feet.

Ness rolled his eyes every time this happened, except for when one decided that it was brave. It was a snake. It lurked in the grass, and waited for the right time to strike. The group was just about the reach the top, when a long, viper-looking reptile leaped up to Pokey, and bit him in the back. It sunk its long fangs into its fat host, enjoying every second as the boy quickly noticed a shooting pain run in the back of his neck.

Ness's instincts warned him once Pokey began to scream like a little girl, and he shot his arm with his bat over his head, and grabbed with two hands as he attempted to smite the animal. It hung off of Pokey like a loose string on a shirt, which was hard for Ness to hit. He decided to use his hands instead, and violently yanked the snake off of him, which flung himself onto the ground, with a not-so-deadly snake in his cold hands.

The scaly creature was your typical garden snake, with harmless venom in their bodies, but it was very rare to see one attack a person just like that without being provoked. Now a young boy has a ticked off one in his palms. Laying on the grass, he flung the thing high in the air, stood up, and then smacked it with his bat like a ball, and sent it flying a couple of meters.

Recovering, he looked back at the victim to find the two marks on his flesh, which blood poured from. He began to cry, and was refueled with frustration and sorrow.

"Why didn't you help me? I could have been killed!" Pokey yelled.

"What are you saying?" Ness shot back. "I'm the one that killed it! Plus, it was a garden snake, so…unless it bit you eight-hundred times in a row, it could not have killed you." He looked back at his bat, which was soaked in blood at the tip. He washed it with the dew of the grass, and stared at Pokey's troubled face. He grunted, and made more progress up the mountain with his friend. Unfortunately, right now, friend was used a bit too loosely.

Once they reached the top of the cliff, they looked a full three-sixty for King. He was nowhere to be found. They both then heard a whine from behind a tree, with a white tail sticking from the back. They both went behind the plant to see the dog lying in the grass, shivering. The poor mammal was terrified, and his owner did not want to push him too far.

"Picky! You little piece off-"Pokey yelled. His fist grabbed the young boy by his T-shirt, making his knuckles pale.

"Hey! Don't blame me! You ran away like a big, big chicken, leaving me here!" Picky defended. Ness then saw Picky's brother look at him laughing fearfully.

"I'm telling Mom what you did!" Those words struck Pokey like a slap to the face. With his fist raised high, he yelled, "IF YOU TELL MOM, I WILL RIP YOUR HEART OUT AND PIN IT TO A WALL!"

Ness shocked by what he said, he replied, "Whoa! Dude! Calm down! He's just a little kid! Besides, he is right. Why would you leaving your freaking brother out here when you were both trying to see the stupid rock?"

"Hey!" Pokey argued. "I just wanted to have some fun! The meteor looked awesome, so I just wanted to check it out! Mom and Dad never let me do anything! They hate me! They're embarrassed by me! Heck, they-"

His yell was blocked by the ringing coming from behind them. It was the meteor. It glowed even brighter than it was before. The heat blew the 3 back, which made King jump, and run down the hill like a bullet. They all looked in awe as a beam shot up from the middle, into the clouds, and dark sky.

It grew and grew as the ringing became higher and louder until they could not hear it at all, but could still feel an excruciating headache pound near their eardrums. They still looked anyway, as two robotic arms opened sides of the space rock, and what was seen inside was a bright red light. Something small began to shoot out of it, as small as a housefly or mosquito.

It buzzed like any other flying insect, and it spun in circles as the yellow beam disintegrated. Then…it spoke.

"A bee, I am….."

"…Not."


	3. Breaking Connections

Chapter 3

The bee spun around the three boys with the sound of flapping wings. It was no regular bee, though. I was not from our planet. It also spoke.

"I come from ten years in the future." said the bee. "My name is Buzz Buzz, and I have come with a critical message."

Ness, Pokey, and Picky were all in complete and udder shock. Sure, they had seen a bumblebee before, but not one that had come out of a rock from outer space, and spoke English fluently.

"I am here to say that in the future, all is destroyed. Life on Earth is destroyed, and only Giygas and his people remain. Gygas is the universal cosmic destroyer, and he has come back after being defeated by 3 children, Ninten, Ana, and Loid. You are one of the decedents, Ness."

Ness could not believe a word he said. How could this be true? How did he know his name? All he could say was "…"

"You, and two other boys, and a girl, are the chosen ones to defeat Giygas, and his evil nature. If you choose to decline, your world, and possibly many others, will be devastated. I will join you on your journey. You will become a great hero, Ness: To me, and to the whole planet. Do you want to begin your journey?

As much as Ness wanted to say no, and as much as he wanted to shake his head in a heartbeat, he HAD to say yes. His sister, mother, and everyone else in Onett, and who knows what else, would be gone forever. So, he looked up to the bee with a shaken, but strong heart, and said, "Yes…"

As hard as Ness could see, Buzz Buzz nodded his head, and said, "We should continue now. There is no time to waste. We shall bring your two friends back to their homes, but that is it."

"But…my mother. She doesn't know that I will be leaving." Ness replied.

"Ahh.." Buzz Buzz wondered. "You shall tell her of what you need to do. Let us move."

As they went all the way down the mountain, Buzz Buzz's sight scared all of the crazy animals that were still lurking in the shadows and grass. They then stopped right at the entrance of the road to find a bright light shoot from the ground. They all backed away, and were met face to face with one of many alien forces. What out of the beam appeared to be a tall, sliver, slender robotic figure with a long black bar across the eyes, big buttons on its chest, and arms that stood in a Superman pose, but with tentacles instead of hands.

"I have come to stop the prophecy from coming true." The alien said. "The Apple of Enlightenment has said that this day would come, and I'm here to prove it wrong. I am a Starman Jr., a servant to the powerful Giygas, and you all weak humans, and Buzz Buzz, will all be destroyed. Buzz Buzz has turned from us, and for that, he must die."

The Starman's sight had turned a bright red, and shot a beam that missed the target of Ness.

"Get behind me! All of you!" Buzz Buzz yelled. They all zoomed behind him, and the insect shot out a black light from its small hands, and created a black and white barrier that covered all of them. The Starman tested this field, and shot another beam. It dissolved once it touched.

"Ness, if we don't make it out of this alive," Pokey said, "I just wanted to say that I was the one who stole your bike."

Ness didn't really care at that moment, and ignored him. Buzz Buzz then shot another laser, but bright green, and it shot straight at the Starman, creating a large whole through its chest. Sparks flew out of it, and fell onto the dirt. The robot began to twitch and give out a loud screech while a watery liquid began pouring out of the whole.

The Starman then shot 3 continuous beams at the group, and was close to destroying the particle field that protected them. Buzz Buzz then removed himself from the dome, and rammed itself right into the head of it. Smashing through like a drill, it ended up right through the black bar of eyes, and the back of the sliver head.

Electricity flowed through all of the limbs. Zapping blue currents shot the ground right at their feet before it collapsed on onto the ground. They all panted while looking at the damage that was done. Buzz Buzz flew back to Ness while the force field went away in an instant.

"This will be what you will be dealing with." Buzz Buzz said attempting to be funny.

It wasn't very funny to the boy that was chosen. It only made his heart beat faster than normal.

"I better not be one of those "chosen ones" Pokey remarked. "I feel sorry for you Ness."

The all reached the big house of the Minch family. Its white wooden fixture and purple roof was occupied by a car in the driveway. This was an immediate jump scare for Pokey and his brother, as this meant sudden death if they knew that they were in trouble. They both hesitantly entered the house, with the two parents looking at them with pure anger.

"Where on earth have you two been?!" Their dad said. "We just got home to find no one but an empty house!"

"You two should be ashamed!" Called their mom. Their parents were both as plump as Pokey, with the father's glasses, white shirt, and black pants barely fitting him, and the lipstick on their mother as lopsided as her red dress. They both shared their blonde hair genes, and Pokey's anger.

"It's not my fault!" Picky defended. "Pokey and I wanted to see the big rock at the top of the mountain, but he got scared and left me up there! He and his best friend, Ness, came to rescue me!"

They both gave a hideous stare at Picky's bigger brother, as Pokey looked back at Ness and Buzz Buzz in fear. His father then walked up to Pokey, and slapped him across the face. He gave a loud shriek, which made both Ness and the alien feel empathy for him. Even the little brother, even though he did feel happy for ratting out him anyway, felt ashamed.

"Picky, go to your room! I need to talk to your brother." Picky's dad yelled. Picky ran up the stairs, and gave a short glance at his brother which had tears down his cheeks.

"Who the hell do you think you are you little piece of crap?!" He yelled.

"I-I-I-I I'm sorry-D-D-Dad!" Pokey tried giving out. His apology didn't work, which left him with another strike to his right cheek, leaving a dark red imprint.

"Porky, you need to learn responsibility in this household! I can't believe you-"

"STOP CALLING ME PORKY!" Pokey interrupted. It left his dad speechless. The room went silent. All that was heard was the buzz of the extra-terrestrial creature. Someone noticed the sound though…

"Eeek!" Screamed Pokey's mom. "It's a dung beetle! Kill it, Ness!"

Ness couldn't do as told. He just stood there with regret from the impact with the dad. The mom grabbed a broom, and marched over to Ness, and said, "Fine. I'll do it myself." She smacked the broom to the left, almost hitting her neighbor in the skull. But it didn't hit the head. It hit Buzz Buzz.

She whacked the thing right out of the air, and it hit the carpet softly. The contact made Ness jump backwards and the killer looked back at their sobbing son.

"You're grounded for 4 weeks. No TV. No Dessert. All you are is a disgrace to our family. Go to your room, and don't come back out until I say so."

He walked with his head down low as he passed his ex-best friend. Then, he whispered in his ear while Ness was trying to wake up the tiny alien.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did. One way or another. Even if it means cutting your neck open while you sleep."

Then he left. As Ness was on the ground with the half-dead Buzz Buzz, the old man spoke to him: "Anyway, I'm sorry that my son has caused you this, and I promise that he will get the beating that he deserves. I suggest you leave soon. It's almost morning, and we are just about to hit the hay for as much as we can."

They both left the room, and headed upstairs, leaving just him and his friend, about to die. He then finally moaned, and shook its broken wings.

"Ahh…uh…I guess I'm not as strong as I thought. I must give you one thing before you go…." He then opened a portal rift to transport a rock to him. It looked like an ordinary rock, but with a dent in the middle. It's grey oval shape felt smooth in his hands once he caught it.

"This is a Sound Stone. You must use it on your journey. To unlock the secrets that are needed to defeat Giygas, you must use it to your advantage. You need to unlock the 8 locations that are hidden in Eagleland. The first one that I know of is at Giant Step. You know that place, right? I will warn you, though. It is dangerous to go alone, but I am confident that you will succeed.

As I have said, you will meet 3 friends along the path, and they will help you immensely on your adventure. The Apple of Enlightenment has told me of such details, and of you being the true winner of this war. The fate of the world is in your hands now. *cough* Good…*cough* Luck…."

Then he had gone. Ness was alone again. With the weight of many lives on his shoulders, he knows what he must do, and he wasn't sure where he would start. He then left the house to enter his own, where his mother and sister were waiting for him. The sun began to rise on the horizon, creating a red and yellow sky that left a firm impression on the young hero.

It was time to tell them

He then went straight-forward with them. They both looked at him with concerned looks, questioning his every move.

"Um…look, guys." He began. "I don't know how I can tell you this. I'm….going to have to….leave for a while."

His mom looked confused as ever.

"Why in the world would you have to do that?" She asked.

"Because someone told me to. And…I know this person is true to me, and he and I believe that this is what I need to do."

He didn't think that for the slightest minute that she would ever let him go. Not this time.

"Who told you this? What do you mean, Ness?" She said with a small tear in her eye.

"I….can't tell you. I'm sorry, I just can't!" He said on the verge of tears himself. "I have to do this, Mom! I have to! I can't explain why, but I have to! Please let me do this! If not….then I might not ever see you again."

His mother began to shed tears while her pink face turned light red. Even his little sister started bawling.

"Tracy…" He said in a wobbly voice. "I want you to be good now, you hear? You take care of my room, and my stuff. Okay?"

She tried saying something, but all she could do was run to him, and give a big warm hug. Then, their mom joined in. They all let their tears splash on the ground. They all knew that Ness may not return, as his dramatic plead did not sound too confident.

"Whatever it may be," Mom said, "I want you to be a strong, courageous, young man. I want you to give it your all! Just remember that I love you, and so does your sister. We'll miss you, Ness…."

The she couldn't hold in anymore tears. So did Ness. So did Tracy. No one could hold their emotions in anymore. But they knew that he needed to leave soon. So he headed to the door, gave a final hug, and exited while the sun perched in the sky. This was the first step, and Giant Step would be a big second.


	4. Maturity

Chapter 4

Ness left his home with regret. The sun had barely nudged the landscape that had been placed in front of him. The city of Onett was in his line of sight. Cars that zoomed across the streets, bustling citizens on the sidewalk, and buildings and houses that looked fresh and alive. This was his kind of town.

But he still was recovering from the goodbye at home. He knew that his family was looking at him still, through the window, but he knew that he could not look back. It would drive him back to tears, and he would come running back. That's what his mom wanted him to do. She wanted to see her little baby son again, in the flesh, but it would be a little while before that wish would come true. There was a world to save.

A bicycle came up the road. The rider wore a blue suit, with a same colored hat the same shape as Ness's. A paper boy. The child zipped past him, while leaving an item. It skidded to his side, and he picked it up to find that it was a newspaper.

"Paula Polestar Missing From Twoson! Roads Blocked To Contain Culprit!"

"_Hmm…." _Ness thought to himself. _Buzz Buzz said that there was supposed to be two boys and a girl….Besides, it would be nice to help the town anyway._

He then looks down at the road to Twoson. It was blocked by cops, and road blocks.

"Great. How am I going to get through there?"

He then spotted the town hall located in the middle of town.

_Guess I should speak to the Mayor himself…If he will let me. All that the police would do is shove me to the side. Hopefully he won't do the same._

Ness pushed himself down the hill to the road. People looked at him with smirks on their faces. He wondered why, and got laughed at by many.

"Better watch yourself, kid!" One teenager said.

"The Sharks will get you! You better go back home, little one!" A lady said without even looking at him.

_The Sharks…Aren't those the local gang members that I keep hearing about? They don't sound that tough._

He kept walking, ignoring the naysayers that looked him down. He soon reached the town hall, with its pillars of white stone, and the shape of a D.C. building. Ness had second thoughts about going in. What if the mayor, or anyone else working there, would listen to him? He had to figure it out for himself.

He walked in to see several business women working behind the counter, typing on their keyboards, trying to stay awake for at least five more minutes by drinking thirty-two ounces of coffee with bags under their eyes. They barely gave the boy a half-second look as he walked by to go up the stairs to see the owner of Onett himself.

Unfortunately, he was halted by a pale white man with a pitch black suit on.

"Hey!" He yelled as if he was trying to rob a bank. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm, going to see the mayor, sir." Ness tried saying in the most polite way possible.

"Well, I can't let you in, unless you are to discuss the problem going on around here."

"The Sharks?"

"Yepo. Got enough problems going on, Twoson's lost girl, people stealing from the local market, and the boss of the whole Sharks operation going on in Giant Step."

_That's right! Giant Step! Maybe I can-_

"So, unless you're willing to help us out with the Sharks, then you'd better kick yourself out before I do it for-"

"I'll help!" Yelled Ness. "Just, let me talk to the mayor."

The guard began to laugh as if he had heard the funniest joke ever.

"Well, I guess he needs all the help he can get," the guard said in the middle of chuckling, "so I guess you should go bother him instead. See how much trouble you can get into."

The guard then moved aside, while Ness replied with a thank you. As he walked up, he saw two guards blocking the sides, and two more on the left and right of the one and only mayor.

"I don't know what I should do!" The mayor yelled. "I just don't have the money to ship twenty son of a guns down to Giant Step!"

He then spotted Ness as he walked straight in front of him. The mayor wore formal attire, but his suit was half buttoned, and his forehead was coated in sweat. He slammed the phone down on the table, and rolled his eyes to see him.

"Yes, yes, what do you want?" The mayor said with a slight irritation in his voice. "I really don't have time to deal with your problems. What happened? Bully took your bike? You tripped on the sidewalk?"

"I, actually, wanted to help with the Shark problem you have." Ness said also irritated.

The mayor was surprised, and tried to hold back a crack of laughter.

"You mean THE, Shark problem?" He questioned with surprise. Ness replied with a nodding of the head.

"Well….I can't let a little kid risk his life to save me millions….of dollars."

The mayor felt between a rock and a hard place. It would be morally wrong to let a kid go out and beat up twenty or so men with guns and knives, but his money was running tight, due to the containment of the problem down in Twoson. He had agreed to help with the neighboring city's potential risk, and was also agreed to have a share for the capture, but there was no luck. He felt like he was in a paradox, and the only way out was to trust his gut.

"Look, kid, if you want, you can go mess around in Giant Step," the mayor finally replied, "because there was said to be a camp inside the caves, where their leader was. They-they were trying to fish something out, and hell if we know what it is. We tried blocking it off; to keep them inside, but no cop has ever set foot inside.

Who knows what they have in there? I don't have that kind of money to ship forty, pardon my French, forty f*cking police guards inside to shoot up any remaining Sharks. They probably won't touch you, though. You're just a kid! They know what's morally wrong, and right….I think. Anyway, will you do it for me?"

Ness nodded his head again, which only left a sinking feeling in the mayor's stomach.

"Good. Now, I will let the guards there to unlock the gate. Giant Step WAS a public place, until they had to place their damn camp inside. Get going, now!"

Ness felt terrified to enter, but he knew that his first location that he needed to enter was Giant Step, and time was running out. He left the building tense and uneasy, and then looked up to hill where his house lies, and looked to the left to find the entrance to Giant Step himself.

He had never seen the place himself, so he had no idea what he was in for. Once he had reached the gate, two cops smirked as they turned their keys to open the wooden gate. The top had read the name, and the cave was completely dark on the inside. He went step by step inside, checking his surroundings. Then, he heard chatter.

The walls made of rock made Ness feel claustrophobic, but as he turned the corner, a big open area spawned a bright light to his eyes. It was a camp fire. There were at least ten tents lying on the ground circling the flame, and one for every tent was the Sharks. They wore black costumes that covered their entire bodies, and the holes for eyes had red paint that surrounded their eyeballs.

They were laughing and swearing at each other, and the sounds echoed throughout the caves. But, when Ness turned the corner to unconceal his body, the room went silent. They stared at him with eyes of real sharks, as if they were going to attack, and rip him limb from limb.

"Um," one of the members said, "who the hell are you supposed to be?"

They all laughed, as they stood up from the logs that they were sitting on, and walked up to him. The loud sounds of feet slapping against the wall made Ness take a few steps back and they were ready with knifes and brass knuckles.

"This place is for us only, punk!" One yelled in anger.

"Who sent you? The whiny old mayor?" One asked with sarcasm.

"What are you gonna do? Beat us up with that crappy old bat?"

"I don't think so…"

"Let's teach this kid a good old fashioned lesson on how you should not piss us off!"

They all were three feet away, and making Ness only hit the side of the entrance. He hadn't even make two inches before being bombarded by men with weapons. Maybe he wasn't ready for this kind of challenge. Maybe he should just stay home with his mommy.

"You can't hurt me!" Ness yelled with the sliver of courage he had at the moment. "I'm just a little kid! You guys are just hiding in here because the cops are outside waiting for you! How long would you last in here? Five days? Tops?"

They all replied with a long ooo, as one moved up right in Ness's face in anger.

"Listen here, tough guy. This place now has things that you would never think of. There is something powerful up at Giant Step itself. Our boss and we are planning on taking that power from the stupid guardian blocking the path. He killed three of us, and he ain't getting anymore. So I will give you one chance to get the hell out of here while you still can!"

Ness then regretfully said, "I'm not leaving without that power at Giant Step. I know that I can stop whatever guardian you say is up there. Watch me."

They then blocked the passageway with all ten of their members.

"Fine," the member said, "then you ain't coming out of here. Ever."

They all ran toward him with their weapons raised high. Ness slid right under one of them, and proceeded to reach the top. He ran past the tents, to find a rope dangling from a cliff. He tried climbing it, but it topped down, making Ness hit his head hard on the rocky floor with a bang. He barely got himself up, as he tried to contain the blood that poured from his head. It soaked his hair, and he began to see doubles as they chased after him.

"What? You hit your head?" One yelped while panting. "You want me to kiss your boo-boo? Let me help you!"

The man then held up his pocket knife like a maniac, and sprinted toward him, aiming down at the boy. Ness dodged, and saw that he slammed straight into the wall. He turned as blood gushed from his nose. It stained the inside of his suit, but he raced toward Ness again. Ness used as much strength as he could, and smacked the Shark straight across the face, knocking him to the floor.

Everyone was in disbelief, even the hitter himself. The guy was unconscious and not coming back up for a couple of hours. The nine others the jogged toward Ness in rage. Ness did the same, and leaped to uppercut one of them in the chin with his cracked bat. It ripped part of the suit's face, and left him out cold. Eight to go.

The then turned their heads to the boy who had leaped over the member's head, and circled him, but just before Ness swung his bat left and right as he sprung in the air to hit both of them across their faces. They both went down. Six more to go. Ness, filled with confidence, hit another in the gut, in the crotch, and then jumped to hit the top of the head to see him topple over another of his buddies.

Five more to go.

Ness turned, and swiftly smacked his bat across one of their hips, tripping them, and leaving the now sleeping figure with a broken rib.

Four more to go.

With a little energy left, he smite one of the Sharks, but caught one of the knives that one was holding, which was then lodged deep in the bat. He then returned it while hitting the handle of the blade across the neck of the costumed man, giving a cracking noise, breaking his skull with the side of the bat.

Three more to go.

Dodging other attacks with their protection, he was then caught with one of them grabbing both of his arms, and then grabbing his neck, strangling him high in the air. The lack of oxygen made him drop his bat, but Ness then fought back by kicking his stomach, releasing Ness, and allowing him to use his sneakers to stomp on his head while he kneeled down on the floor.

Two more to go.

Last but not least, he then grabbed his sporting tool, and gave a big swing to the remaining enemies, knocking them both to the ground, and Ness then, one after another, knocked them both to slumber with the eight others.

Zero more to go.

He had done it. He looked down at his hands, and saw the bloodied fingers that were caked in the liquids of his opponents. What has he done? He had successfully defeated ten trained gang members. One to ten. Little boy to young adults. Was this really his destiny?

_Why not make me kill them, why don't you?_

He then heard clapping from behind him. He turned to find a mysterious figure in the dark. His slick blonde hair, his red jacket, and his sunglasses made him look like a beach dweller than anything else. He held two knives on his sides of his matching pants, and he looked at Ness with a furious smile.

"Wow." He said in awe. "You almost killed my remaining men. You. You! You little piece of shit almost committed a felony. You seem to be stronger than all of them. What do you want? Money? Pride? Forgiveness?"

"Who are you?" Ness asked.

"I, am Frank Fly." He said reassuringly. "The leader of the Sharks. And I have just witnessed the greatest feat that I have seen in twenty years. I guess that the only thing to do is kill you, now."

"I just want to get to Giant Step." Ness said with a nervous tone.

"Really? You really think that you can actually get that power that is up at Giant Step? Good luck with that! You wouldn't stand a chance up there! I won't stop you, though! I'd like to see some action! Even if it involves a kid getting murdered by a giant man-eating creature!"

As Frank continued to laugh, Ness swung the rope back up on the cliff, and it caught up above. He pressed his legs toward the wall, and climbed up. Once he reached the top, he found a narrow tunnel with a glowing figure at the end. He slowly walked along the path as it became slimmer and slimmer, close enough that Ness needed to squeeze himself through. The light grew bigger and bigger, and Ness looked away to shield his eyes.

"So, you've finally come, Ness, to defeat me, and claim this sanctuary. It's mine now, and you will have to kill me if you will ever reach Giant Step. So just try to kill me…if you dare."

Then, the light quickly vanished as the tunnel opened up to a large cave with stalagmites with dripping water, bugs that swarmed the floor, and most importantly, a robotic, giant ant, that guarded the Giant Step itself. It had six legs made of metal and wire that held up an iron thorax, and a head that held two beastly eyes that stared into the soul of Ness. Its grimacing smile made the little hero question his strength. Two antennas that shot out began to glow, and the titanic ant itself laughed in a robotic voice as if a metal can was its vocal cords.

The robot two, three times the size of Ness buzzed and crackled. It was about to attack. It stuck its first two legs into the ground, cutting into the rock. Ness took this opportunity to swing his bat at the face of the ant. Electricity flowed through the face then, and a chunk of the mouth was torn off to reveal red and blue wires, with a copper finish.

It growled, as its smile turned to a frown, and it shot one of its legs out of the ground, and smacked Ness across the chest, and sent him flying to the left side of the monster, hitting the wall with a thump. Pain shot through the little boy, but he got up again, and jumped up onto the ant's body, and continued to bash it, hitting every possible area, breaking it apart, even going so far as to using his bare hands to rip it apart, leaving his calices cut and scraped.

"I….WILL KILL YOU!" The ant screamed. It then shot a sonic attack that rattled Ness's eardrums, making him slip off, and land his bottom almost under the ant. Ness then went under, and repeatedly shot the body over him with the tip of his bat like trying to get a noisy teenager to shut up on the floor up above with a broom, but this time, breaking the ceiling.

Panels from the belly fell, and only electric parts were shown. The ant had had enough, and grabbed underneath him to retrieve his mortal enemy. As Ness could barely move as he had been in the grasp of the ant, the other leg had grabbed the top of his head, and attempted to pull on both ends to rip him in two.

As the titanic ant slowly pulled farther apart, he chuckled at the pain Ness was going through. Ness yelled in pain, and grunted as he tried using all of his strength to pull through. Nothing worked. He felt like giving up, but it was not time for his life to end. He then built up as much energy as he could to bust out, struggling to wiggle himself free. It wasn't working at the slightest bit….

…but something else happened.

There came a light that slowly built up in Ness's hands, a single small light that wasn't any brighter than a match, but it soon became brighter and brighter, until light had absorbed the room. The ant was in confusion. So was Ness, but he kept doing the same thing he was doing, and the power kept growing.

A ringing then shot through the room, and blue electricity had zapped the ant into paralyzing him. Ness broke free, but still keeping his strength from before. He cupped his hands to contain the light that had begun to turn blue, and he backed away as it continued to get even more powerful. The ant then looked at him in anger as he regained from his paralysis.

Ness then thought that it was time, so he slowly backed away, and looked away from the light as it began to grow out of the palms. His hands felt like his blood circulation had been cut off, and felt numb. His body tensed up as he felt a feeling of hope run through his veins. He had never felt anything of this before.

The light got brighter. And brighter. Faster and faster it grew. Bigger and bigger. Ness then stopped his hesitance to release it, and then finally decided to shoot it out. He didn't know what would happen, but-

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Ness woke up from the blast. The room had been ridden of light, and was mere darkness. The ant was gone. All that was left were parts of wires and exoskeleton. It was dead. Ness had won the battle. He had no idea what had just happened. He felt a sensation on joy and relief, and found that the entrance to the monument had been opened up to him. He went out the entrance.

The time was still day. The path had leaded him to the top of the hill of Onett. The sight was beautiful. He could not contain his absolute awe for the view, and all he could say was, "Whoa."

Then he looked down.

It was Giant Step. It was an imprint of a foot that had dug itself in the ground. It was, however, not man-made. Who knows who had made it, but it felt powerful. It made Ness feel much more alert and powerful. He felt as if he had slept for nineteen hours after pulling an all-nighter. He felt wonderful.

Then, he saw a glimpse of something. It was a small, cute puppy, the same breed as King. It looked up at him, with his tail wagging as if Ness was holding a treat in his hands. Then, it went away. As it went away, he then heard a soft voice that gently played in his ears as if someone was whispering in them. It sounded like a young woman, who had the voice of angels, with the gift of delightful singing.

Let out the strength, that erupts, from your…

Then, the voice had stopped. It left Ness with many questions, but he disregarded them, and headed back to where Frank was.

"I can't believe it." Frank said with complete and utter shock. "You just killed the monster. Not even me, or any of my men have ever even gotten close to defeating that thing. You, are stronger than any of my men, nor me. I…I would just like to say that I am sorry for what my men have done to you. I…don't know why, but I feel as if I need to thank you.

You just made me feel as if you had given me a million dollars somehow! It feels great, and I must thank you, for what you have done. Thank you. I…know that you will go far in life, kid. I wish you luck to wherever you will go."

Ness then left the cave, while looking back at the new Frank Fly, and smiled. I was quite awkward to say anything more with all of his men lying on the floor unconscious, but Frank still looked at him with a smile as if they were mere hallucinations to Ness. Ness then turned around, and exited back to tell the mayor the good news.


	5. Corruption

Chapter 5

Ness walked into the Mayor's office with ease. He suggested that his arrival last time sparked a gleam of hope in the mayor that he tried everything and anything to dispose of them. And he sure did. So when Ness reached the top of the steps to find him staring out of the window that gave a direct view of Giant Hill himself, he already knew what he was in for.

"I can't believe it." The mayor said in disbelief. "I can't believe that you singlehandedly beaten the Sharks that fast. It's almost too fast…what did you talk them into?"

"Nothing, sir." Ness said proudly. "I just…gave them a piece of their mind. Told them to leave Onett. You know."

"Oh, yes I do know boy!" The mayor replied with his cheeks covered in tears. "And now they are off of my hands! My slate is now clean!"

Ness then gave a confused look at the cheerful mayor as he danced around the room, and walked straight toward Ness himself. It didn't feel right to him though. His slate was clean? What on earth does that mean?

"Excuse me sir," Ness hoped for an answer, "what do you mean about your debt?"

Then, he looked down at him with the same gleeful smile, and said, "Well, for months, we've been getting strange reports of animals going insane and bloodthirsty on our citizens. Millions of dollars spent on insurance payments on broken bones, infections, and a hell of a lot more cuts and scrapes. I had no clue on what to do. So, I was forced to have my men talk to the local ruffians about helping me with the problem. They did, and they did it so well that….they required a service fee from me."

Ness was even more baffled by what he had said. He couldn't comprehend the willingness of the mayor of the very place he had lived all his life going to such extreme measures like that. It wasn't real. Yet, he could understand it perfectly.

"So they didn't want anything before?" Ness replied. It seemed that the mayor did not compute with the question, and gave a straight face to him in the blink of an eye.

"Well, no." He said shamefully. "They did. They charged me quite a lot. But it felt silly of me to do anything otherwise than putting the deal off. Where was I to go? And now, I was in real shit when they came to my office wanting my end of the deal. I couldn't pay it, though. They raised the bar to ten grand or more! Like bloody hell I was going to get them what they wanted. And when I didn't, they turned on me. They only made it worse, beating up on my people like they did to the animals, and my money. When I ordered the cops to go after them, they grouped up inside the caves. Even without them, I couldn't send them inside. Have you heard of the news with Giant Step, lad?"

Ness could only shake his head, which was scrambled to begin with.

"Well, like you know, it used to be public property. We charged them to see the monument at the top, but now, we closed it off. Something happened in there. Something bad. Cops when in, they never came back out. Same for the customers. I had complaints coming out of my ass. But then, the Sharks somehow found a way to not bother whatever was in there. Due to the commotion coming from inside, you seem to have destroyed it. Thanks for that by the way. Unfortunately though, they did their damage. They used that place like a fortress, and no one but them could go in. No one but you, I mean. I thought that they would leave me alone then, but they continued to send people out to send a message. Evil was upon us. And it was coming fast. They scared everyone in town! I couldn't put up with it. So, I had you go in and clean up their mess."

Ness was infuriated. He was the mayor's guinea pig. The mayor was the crazy scientist going to extreme lengths to get results. He fell for it.

"So all that I did," Ness replied, "was so you didn't have to pay a bill?! You made me hurt them because you were here sitting on your ass waiting for your funds to come pouring in! You're a disgrace to me, mayor. I hope you know that."

"My name is B. H. Pirkle, by the way." He added. "I didn't want to release that information until I knew that it was safe. Going by the name "Mayor" wasn't that hard to pull off. Same as our deal."

"I'm leaving Onett today, Pirkle. Let me go through to Twoson, and I won't tell everyone on the criminal things you have done."

As Ness had said that, Pirkle simply smiled, and gave a weak chuckle. He took a cigar and a lighter out of his pocket, and lit one up in front of the child. He sucked every puff of it, and released the smoke mere inches from him. He attempted to be frightening, but it was the only thing that didn't fool Ness the slightest.

"Well, unfortunately, I'm going to have to decline that offer as well. We can't have you secretly blabbing about this. It could ruin my elections! Guards, will you take care of him please?"

As he said that last sentence, two pale white men walked up to them like robots following commands, and were at least two times higher than Ness and Pirkle. One of them grabbed Ness by the neck, and look at the other with a grimacing smile.

"Send him to the interrogational room, would you? We seem to have a pesky rat on our hands." Pirkle exclaimed feeling innocent about it all. As Ness struggled to breath, Pirkle chuckled a bit louder, and waved goodbye as they moved their giant feet to carry the boy to the room, leaving the door slam behind them.

They didn't even give a response to Ness attempting to escape the giant clutches of the two security guards, but once they had went through the dim hallways to throw him into the room, they smirked, then nodded to figures standing behind him like tin men. The lights were all turned off. He couldn't spot anything but walls surrounding him, and six figures in the dark. Then, the lights came on.

Six police cops dressed in their usual blue and black uniforms. They all had shades rested on their noses, and the one that stood out most was the general. He wore the same clothes, yet carrying a baton, and a thick black moustache. He looked much older than the rest of them, and he knew it perfectly well as why he was the general. He looked like a professional wrestler.

The room was nothing but tiled floors, white wallpaper that had flakes all over the floor, and all that kept the room lit was a small bulb that hung from the ceiling. The windows to his left were boarded up, probably so pedestrians walking by could not witness the horror that was about to unfold. Ness quickly sprinted to the door, but it was locked shut. Three locks that ceiled him on the inside, which meant that there was no way out.

"So this is the little rat that caused the Pirkle trouble." The general spoke in a deep raspy voice. "We might have sent you to the police office, but they would probably go easy on you. I'm not one to do so. So are my boys."

The group laughed like the Sharks did in Giant Step. Maybe he could beat them down like he did to them. But the problem is, these cops had training, and lots of it. He could tell right off the spot from their muscles and bone structure. They looked like two ton monsters, which had their eyes set on the small boy down the road. The small boy that was about to save the world.

They all charged at him like rhinos, except for the general, and one who stood in the corner observing everything with a close eye. Ness quickly reacted by slipping between two, and slammed against the wall right when the cops smacked into each other in a big circle. They faces were filled with rage. They needed to get this done, and fast. It wasn't helping much that the boy they were fighting had supernatural powers.

One couldn't take the heat, and jogged toward him with his metal baton swinging in the air. Ness then leaped back, slapping his feet on the wall, and pushed himself into the upcoming enemy. He hit the cop with a big swing, blood splattering from his nose and mouth, leaving them speechless. Ness then skidded across the ground, almost about the hit the group like a bowling ball, but the pins glued to the ground. They all anticipated him like a baseball shooting at them, ready to strike, but their opponent had other plans, and rolled to the left to dodge upcoming fire.

They all focused half of their attention on him, and also the unconscious soldier lying on the floor. But it was too late, and Ness already tripped one of the cops, struck one in the head, and stuck one in the gut in three seconds. The impact was startling to all of them, especially the one observing in the corner. His rage then replaced itself with pure fear. He was terrified of a young boy with a baseball bat. Even the general felt uneasy.

But unfortunately, when Ness leaped back, and returned for another attack, the hit that shot one out cold had left his bat screaming a loud crack. The wielder had thought that it was of the target's head being broken, but instead, it was his weapon of choice. It had split in two. All that was left was splinters, and two pieces of bloodied wood. Ness had no idea what to do. He couldn't attack them with his bare hands. He had to use something.

Then he recalled of what he did at the battle with the Titanic Ant. He somehow released a great power, something that he had never seen in his life. Maybe he could recreate that scene. All he needed was some power, and he believed that he already had that. So, he threw the dead bat into the corner, took a deep breath, and focused his energy on his palms.

In his head, he crossed his fingers, but they were already occupied by the bright light that immediately absorbed his view. It left the room in a full blast of light. The bulb above blew out with a loud burst. The windows cracked. All of their glasses gave them a view of broken glass. They all stared in awe. They didn't think twice to try to unlock the door to hurry out of there. The observer, the general, and the remaining police all rushed to the door like birds being scared by a rabid dog.

Ness then felt his hands shake from enough power, and felt that it was time to release. It made him think of what made him feel this true power. Like the time he rocked his guitar. It shook the whole house, leaving broken photos and an angry mother and sister. But now, Ness had enough, and let go of it. It released toward the door, and they space occupying it. It blew them over like a tornado, spreading them out, and leaving them in all corners of the room.

The room was left in ash, but no flame to cause it. Ness quickly checked the members to see if they were dead or not. Luckily, they were breathing. They moaned and groaned, and it looked as if it was hard to move a muscle, and it was. The door was left with holes, and a broken knob. It only needed a tap to send it falling. Every staff member in the building had their mouths gaping open.

They were perpetuated. They were all baffled. They were all….scared of him, and Ness didn't like that. The men and woman working at their desks typing on their computers all stopped to look at him, and then to the furious stubby man that blasted out of the room on the other side. It was Pirkle again.

"WHO IN THE BLOOD HELL DID THIS?!" Screamed Pirkle. "IF I HAVE TO REPORT THE POLICE THAT THERE HAS BEEN ANOTHER ACCIDENT IN OUR OFFICE, I'M GONNA HAVE TO FIRE THE NEXT SON OF A-"

Then he looked at the filthy Ness covered in blood and ash. His mouth twitched, and his gaze was stuck in an endless trance. He was gone too, and Ness knew it perfectly well. So, he took the opportunity, and walked to the exit. He then stopped, and turned back to him and said, "I'll be heading to Twoson now. I'll be sure to tell them that you sent me."

He then left town hall to find people grouping around the marble steps. It seems that they have witness some of what has happened. Luckily, no one suspected that he was to blame, and ignored his presence as he left the scene.

_Alright, now I just need to get to Twoson. It shouldn't be too hard now. _He thought to himself.

He then spotted the exit of Onett, and into Twoson. It was only a dirt road that was covered in autumn looking trees. Two police guards stood at the entrance with their cars, and road blocks. One was talking on his radio, and the other holding a pistol. They all quickly noticed Ness stepping into view. They waited for him to come up close so they could speak.

"Are you the boy that was with the mayor?" Asked the one with the radio, which Ness replied with a nod. "Well, I just got an order to let you through here. Be careful out there."

Ness then maneuvered through them, and walked down the dirt pathway. The two guards didn't even look at him passing by, but continued to keep a look out for others that attempted the same thing. Ness's footsteps were overpowered in sound by the noise of birds chirping in the morning sky. IT was beautiful, and as the sun rose higher in the distance, he then turned back to find another perfect view of the city where he once lived.

Then he spotted the Cliffside, and his house. All of the lights were out, and so were their neighbors. He felt as if he wanted to run back home and say goodbye one last time, but he knew that it was silly of him to do so. He needed to be brave. For him, his mother, and the world. He had a job to do, and he needed someone else to help him finish it. And that very someone was a girl named Paula Polestar.


End file.
